I opted into BRS the second week in January and didn't get matched contributions on my January LES. I split 50:50 with Roth and Traditional. I was wondering how this was even going to work for January since matching starts "the first pay period after (you) opt into BRS." Since earliest opt-in date ...

I've had car insurance with Auto Owners for many years. Last year their rates went up 26% and this year they're up 21%. I decided to get a quote from USAA and was shocked to see that their quote was 41% more than Auto Owners was quoting. I didn't seek any other quotes after that. Is there much of a...

Sorry, let me get to the point. Are you saying if someone has a chance of not staying in for 20 they should do BRS, and if somehow they know they will be in for 20 or more they should stay with high three? Yes. If you know you are staying in, the traditional pension will almost always come out on t...

Do you think someone starting at say age 18, putting 20 years in for Guard/Reserve, then retiring so to speak at 38, would be affected differently by collecting at 60 as opposed to active duty collecting at 38? I would like to see some calculations bases on real scenarios to compare the monetary ou...

RamblinDoc, all of the advice you've received in this post is correct, of course, and I've also confirmed the TSP contribution-limit experience with over a dozen readers. Keep in mind that if you deploy to a combat zone then your TSP contribution limit rises to the annual addition limit ($55K in 201...

I am Guard and very skeptical of BRS. I think if you are going to be in less than 20, you should do BRS, if 20 or greater you should do legacy high three. Guard, and possibly Reserve, don't receive retirement until around 57 to 62 I believe, so that is another factor. Active duty gets retirement da...

Doctors like you (with active-duty obligations like that) are about the only servicemembers who could stick with High Three . Would you please clarify this, especially from a Guard/Reserve standpoint? My general impression has been that those expecting to do 20 or more should stay legacy, and those...

There's no guarantee that I can stay in the military for 20 years, and in that case, I would have received nothing under Legacy. The continuation pay, as mentioned, may be more than $20,000, and if invested, would add a large cushion to my own retirement savings. These are the top two reasons to se...

https://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=238161&p=3729290#p3729290 See the post by Nords re military on disability retiring to Hawaii. It's just full of direct and seemingly sensible advice, pointed right at the OP's concerns, and anchored in personal experience. Thanks. After 15+ years...

January LES is out and mine doesn't show any matching funds, does anyone else have an indication that their opt in worked? Typically, a change in January to TSP contributions would only be effective in February, so was I overly hopeful that the DOD wouldn't let system limitations deprive us of the ...

I have just less than 10 years in with an ADSO that puts me at 18. Doctors like you (with active-duty obligations like that) are about the only servicemembers who could stick with High Three. You'd probably make more money from the BRS, but we all know that doctors have no reason to ever stop worki...

Good grief, folks, after reading the first dozen responses to this thread I wondered whether this is the Bogleheads forum or Mr. Money Mustache? Why so much negativity? Where’s the support on figuring out how to make it work? With a poster name like SurferLife, the question is not “if” or “when” the...

Thanks Nords for the wealth of information! To sum this all up- I plan on contributing a percentage of my base pay to my Roth TSP that will be equal to or slightly greater than 1542 per month (=18,500/12). My monthly percentage will be above the 5% threshold to receive max DoD BRS contributions. Si...

I am under the impression that Roth TSP contributions are limited at 18.5k per year regardless of the 55k annual additional limit. If this is true, what will happen with my personal and DoD contributions? Will they stop prematurely summer or fall 2018 due to reaching the 18.5k Roth limit precluding...

I’m an O-5 (Lt Col) in the military, and I’ll be deploying next year for 6 months from April to October to a tax exempt location. I’m trying to figure out the best way for me to maximize my TSP contribution (up to $55k) while minimizing taxes. I know the ROTH TSP is optimal while deployed because i...

9Liner, do you still need the policy? For example if it's for medical care then the AGR has you covered with Tricare and you wouldn't need the disability insurance. You could choose your option 1 now. What's the policy's fine print about "serving on active duty"? If you bought the policy to cover ot...

Welcome, FSW! My questions: - My Roth is actively managed and I think I am getting killed on fees (Over $1100 last year). Does it make sense to rollover to a self-directed Roth with Scottrade and just invest in a simplified Vanguard style account to save on fees (Some kind of target date ETF)? Any s...

Nords has numerous posts helping service members maximize saving in the combat zone. As I remember, maximize Roth prior to deployment careful not to contribute the last dollar of $18K because the DFAS computer may not allow further tax exempt contributions in the combat zone if annual contribution ...

As the final hour approaches I wanted to open this thread back up to updates from anyone. I too have realized that even though I plan to stay for 20 years, the right decision is to switch to the BRS. Thank you to everyone on here for the input. Nords, your most recent post on "Tricky Details" is a ...

USAA does not subsidize its products, and even card rewards programs have to be at least revenue-neutral. It looks like this card costs more than it earns, but we already suspected that. If USAA can't figure out a way to make it stand on its own then they'll shut it down. So then the jury is still ...

I've attended USAA's blogger conferences for several years, and I asked them for an update on the pilot. Their Communications team forwarded the response to me: "The USAA Limitless Credit Card was rolled out throughout the year as a pilot in a number of states. As a part of our test and learn approa...

I am in the military and I have been told this a fantastic forum to get advice from. I am reading and learning as much as I can before investing my money but i could use some more help. Thank you. While you're reading and learning, take the first step of investing now. If you're not already doing s...

Crap. This card has been on my radar for over a year. Thanks for the update. It recently rolled out in Hawaii (although it seems to have rolled back in), but we weren't ready to apply. We've spent most of this year messing around with our credit. We've just finished refinancing mortgages (a six-mont...

New policy from Chase, active duty military can be exempted from annual fees for cards opened after September 20, 2017 due to Chase's interpretation/implementation of the Military Lending Act (MLA). https://www.doctorofcredit.com/military-lending-act-everything-need-know-annual-fee-waivers-capped-i...

Would you roll the small traditional IRA I have (~$6K) into the TSP? I cannot make deductible traditional IRA contributions, and cannot contribute to a Roth IRA after this year. Sure. You're unlikely to need to withdraw the assets while you're in uniform, and moving them into the TSP will almost ce...

That is quite a prolific military family! :) I swear it wasn't my idea! My spouse and I met in college, and our daughter grew up with the Navy. She's the one who insisted on dating a sailor. It was very romantic-- they met during a cryptographic materials training class. 18 months later they decide...

military vets & especially retirees not for me, but for my kids (one in undergrad , another a similar path) so I'd like to pick their brains to help my kids with how to maximize their financial lives while in the military If your kids don't want to post here then they (and you) are also welcome to ...

Just looking for advice for the military portfolio that exceeds Roth eligibility as well as deductions from traditional investments. I get those questions a lot from servicemembers, and you've answered all of them correctly. I could make a snarky comment about minimizing your military tax burden by...

You were active duty military? Medical? I have never heard of a Personnel Support Detachment. I wonder if I can find out if one exists where I am stationed. The local DFAS office states that they have nothing to do with physician/bonus pay. The fellow who handles our physician pay says he cannot do...

Thanks much for your feedback! I do plan on "opting in" for the BRS, I believe the earliest we can is 1/1/2018. As of 7/1/2017, the lump sum bonus pays for physicians (sans board certification pay), have been converted to combined monthly taxable income going into each paycheck. As of now, many phy...

ST346, here's some more info & links: Here's a summary of how to apply for your military service credit deposit: http://gubmints.com/2013/03/26/gubmints-comprehensive-military-service-credit-deposit-guide/ It's written by a submarine vet who worked in a federal civil service job for a number of year...

A few more comments, WanderingDoc. You may have already noticed this, but your myPay account will let you set your traditional TSP contribution to 92% (the other 7.45% is reserved for FICA) while you can only set your Roth TSP contribution to 60%-65% (varies by service). DFAS has the lower limit on ...

Question - Should I be contributing to the traditional TSP (401k) or to the ROTH TSP? I have always preferred paying the taxes now since I am in the military, no income tax and paying about 15% federal. Hi, RI, I wrote the book on military personal finance. I frequently see questions like yours. Yo...

I don't make enough to max out tsp (only an e3). I am currently only doing the TSP roth. Check out the-military-guide . I think that is nords blog? It should have lots of relevant info for you since you are in the military. Thanks, TJ! I would start with 6k and be doing 5-600 monthly investments. I...

Thinking about your post for a bit longer ... I guess one small bright spot is that SS Online is the only place you mentioned encountering problems because of the credit freeze. Nothing about "Once Dad got to the point where he had to move into a care facility, all of a sudden there were a bunch of...

Have other people run into situations where it seemed at one time like a good idea to put these identity theft protection measures into action for an aging person, but then time went on, the aging person sadly became incapacitated, and the person in charge of admininstering their financial affairs ...

Current PGY-3 resident and just found out that I am eligible for USAA due to family in the military. I have yet to compare prices for insurance or any of the other services, but I was wondering what experiences people have had with them in the past? -How are their auto or homeowner's insurance rate...

I have not considered leaving my money in the TSP account after I retire, but am hearing from more and more that that is a good option. My goal is to buy our retirement home (no mortgage) outright around age 63 to 65 using my TSP/Roth IRA and savings. With no mortgage to deal with, funding our mont...

Are there any financial advisors provided by the military? I think this question is too complicated for us to answer. Your compensation when you retire will include things hat the rest of us don't get - like a nice chunk of disability pay - and I, for one have no idea how or if that is taxed in ret...

I guess my primary question though I am still not sure I understand for the pension. How do I value the pension in order to more understand the figure I am saving for? Do I value it as the cost of buying an annuity with similar terms and use that dollar value to offset my 25x income at retirement? ...

Maintaining steep hillside lots (and landlording, for that matter) are things to outsource when they become burdensome. We like to travel, and so directly managing a rental is not something we want to do at this time. In 20 years, you might well have convenient automated car service (either your ow...

These are great questions & comments. Thanks for helping us analyze this! Our rental is much better than our home for aging in place, yet I've had about enough of landlording. Perhaps you should move into the rental and sell your other house. It sounds like the ideal way would be for you to move int...

It's been a while since I've started a thread here, yet this forum might have more members with the landlord experience I'm seeking. I'd also appreciate hearing from those of you who have had to personally work through an age-in-place challenge. My spouse and I own two pieces of Oahu real estate whi...

Nords, thanks for the reply. I was waiting until I had some free time to respond to you. I have now moved into a new job where I will not deploy, so things have gotten better, sort of. The new job has insane hours, but at least I'm home so it'll work for the next year until we PCS. The issue for us...

The original posts say "55% survivor benefit". We need the original poster (or someone familiar with military pensions) to say whether this means Pension drops to 55% when either annuitant dies or Pension drops to 55% only if primary annuitant dies first. I.e., if secondary annuitant (spouse) dies ...

Great info, thank you! Follow on questions- My wife and I are currently not eligible to contribute to Roth IRA due to the income limits so I have been doing backdoor roths for both of us. (1) Due to the fact that my income in the combat zone is untaxed would this (depending on what our combined tax...

Hello All, I'm looking for some military minded advice. I have an upcoming deployment that will put me in CENTCOM periodically. Are there any strategies for maximizing the tax free benefits of CENTCOM. Some specific questions below: -If I contribute to a Roth while in CENTCOM will it be tax free go...